Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: A- | 88 USERS: B YOU GRADE IT Live Together. Die Alone.
By Cindy McLennan | Season 2 | Episode 2 | Aired on 10.07.2012
Before Charming can exit the shop, Rumpy asks what happens to people who cross the border. I wish Charming would continue with his not telling strategy, but since Rumpy is perhaps the only Storybrooker who knows how to access magic, perhaps Charming's answer is the wiser course. He explains about the loss of old-life memory. "It looks like we're stuck here." Alone, Rumpy has himself a bit of a temper tantrum, and smashes his glass cases with his cane. I hope you still have all your magic, Rumpy, because otherwise that's going to be a beast to clean up.
L'enchantement. Knifingham Palace. Night. Young Regina is still getting acquainted with Rumpy. He crows that he knows everything about her. He held her in her arms when she was younger and more portable (so...a baby?). There's much history between her family and him. Rumpy: "Both in the past and in the future." He's so tricksy. When Regina wants his help, Rumpy knows that she seeks power and speculates that she needs it for the death of her enemy, or perhaps a friend. Horrified, Regina says she doesn't want to hurt anyone. Rumpy: "Hard to believe you're from the same family." I think that about people all the time, but often, those people are from my family. Ahem. He caresses her cheeks as he raves about how kind and gentle she is, but then he feels it and with a fey little pop says, "So powerful! You could do so much, if you'd just let yourself." Regina shakes her head and walks toward the balcony, sad that she doesn't know how. Rumpy says he can show her the way.
He produces a big mirror (it's covered) and says magic is the answer. Having lived with what magic did to Cora, Regina wants no part of it, but our evil imp is seductive, after a fashion. He claims the beauty of his gift is that she doesn't have to do anything that might lead her end up like her mother. The gift will do the dirty work for her. He explains that his gift is a portal to a "Specific, annoying little world -- useless to me, but for your purposes, a-perfect. You're unlikely ever to see her, again. All she needs is a little push. The question is: can you do it?" Regina's face is solemn as she contemplates the choice before her. Bob the Builder doesn't seem to be from L'enchantement, but I still hear his, "Yes we can!"
Storybrooke. With the still black and rotted apples hanging off her prized tree (but wait, isn't the tree in the backyard of the Mayoral Manse, not the Town Hall), Regina sits on the bench, grimoire in hand. After a few deep breaths, she opens to the middle of the book. On the left hand page is some runic-like script. On the right is an illustration of a tree, surrounded by more runes. Regina inclines her head and blows on the pages. An orange, smoky mist blows off the pages. She inhales, deeply. Her eyes turn violet, which, for a moment, gives me Mary Sue jitters, but they soon return to normal. The apples overhead are restored to their lustrous red. Regina doesn't look up and see this, but she doesn't need to. As she smiles and rises, a crow caws in the distance.